Walks in the Valais Alps are among the most versatile experiences that the arc of the Alps has to offer: ancient paths from the vineyards of the Rhone Valley high up to the edge of the eternal ice; an unlimited variety of trails and mountain paths on sunny hillsides, at times following the Suones, historical water channels; delightful strolls in light-flooded larch forests, along gorges thundering with water, and on open ridges – always with fantastic views of the highest mountains of the Alps between Monte Rosa and Mont Blanc. Nowhere else in the Alps does the winter season linger as long: From mid-March to mid-November, you can experience the seasons in the most varied of heights between the Mediterranean-influenced Rhone Valley to the border of the glaciers. Michael Waeber and Hans Steinbichler, both experienced Alpine journalists and excellent authorities on Valais, have split their presentation of the hiking area of Valais into two volumes, the Upper (East) and Lower (West) Valais, in order to be able to do justice to the rich array of walking opportunities between Grimsel Pass and Lake Geneva. The volume "Valais West" presents 50 day tours in the French-speaking part of the Rhone Valley around the cities of Sion, Sierre and Martigny, as well as in the Val de Zinal, Val d"Hérens, Val de Bagnes and the Val d"Entremont. The second volume, "Valais East", details 49 day tours and two extended circuit and multiple-leg walks between Grimsel Pass and the language border at Sion, as well as in the side valleys around Zermatt, Saas and Fiesch. All tour recommendations are described in a detailed and knowledgeable manner, and are illustrated by colour images as well as topographical hiking maps on a scale of 1:50,000 with illustrated routes. Together with the volume on Valais East, this book is an indispensable guide for all Valais fans!